The Round Ball Game - II

[johncorrigan]

HALF TIME
Hangers 0 Dover 2
Toon 0 Everton 2

FULL TIME
Hangers 3 Dover 2
Toon 3 Everton 2

Beyond scary ..........

Impressively synchronous, anton. No game for the Saints today - Monday evening v Killie awaits...but our two closest rivals for the drop both lost, so I suppose that's something...I hope!

[Edgy 2]

HALF TIME
Hangers 0 Dover 2
Toon 0 Everton 2

FULL TIME
Hangers 3 Dover 2
Toon 3 Everton 2

Beyond scary ..........

Spooky

[teamsaint]

The definitive game of two halves at SMS today. Saints all at sea in the first half, strangely lethargic and disjointed, despite odd good moments. However , we defended quite well given the level of pressure, and it was certainly one of those days where you want to get at HT only one down, and see what the next 45 brings.
Ralf changed things at half time, bringing on the mobile Long for Charlie, and Josh Sims for Romeu, with JWP dopping to centre midfield. And the chamges proved to have a dramatic effect. Saints were right at it from the off, asking serious questions all the time, and more or less in control. The equaliser from another incisive move was well deserved,and shortly afterwards we thought we had been done when a Spurs player escaped a red for a cynical foul on Armstrong as he was charging into the box as we had broken on the right..
However, justice was done as the brilliant JWP smashed another superb free kick home. He is a man on a mission , and he nearly exploded with excitement. Spurs failed to launch a really sigificant fight back, and Saints deserved the points, in a really extraordinary comeback.
Sims played a major part in the turn round, constantly opening Spurs up with intelligent running. How he failed to get regular games on loan at Reading before Christmas will likely remain a mystery. He must surely have a future at PL level.

Main down side was an appalling performance from Kevin Friend the ref, who really is a friend to the top teams.

[teamsaint]

HALF TIME
Hangers 0 Dover 2
Toon 0 Everton 2

FULL TIME
Hangers 3 Dover 2
Toon 3 Everton 2

Beyond scary ..........

Suspicious cat would be suspicious.....

( blimey Dover to Hartlepool is a long old trek for a game of football........)

[BBMmk2]

Good wins for The Toon and Seagulls yesterday!

[eighthobstruction]

The definitive game of two halves at SMS today. Saints all at sea in the first half, strangely lethargic and disjointed, despite odd good moments. However , we defended quite well given the level of pressure, and it was certainly one of those days where you want to get at HT only one down, and see what the next 45 brings.
Ralf changed things at half time, bringing on the mobile Long for Charlie, and Josh Sims for Romeu, with JWP dopping to centre midfield. And the chamges proved to have a dramatic effect. Saints were right at it from the off, asking serious questions all the time, and more or less in control. The equaliser from another incisive move was well deserved,and shortly afterwards we thought we had been done when a Spurs player escaped a red for a cynical foul on Armstrong as he was charging into the box as we had broken on the right..
However, justice was done as the brilliant JWP smashed another superb free kick home. He is a man on a mission , and he nearly exploded with excitement. Spurs failed to launch a really sigificant fight back, and Saints deserved the points, in a really extraordinary comeback.
Sims played a major part in the turn round, constantly opening Spurs up with intelligent running. How he failed to get regular games on loan at Reading before Christmas will likely remain a mystery. He must surely have a future at PL level.

Main down side was an appalling performance from Kevin Friend the ref, who really is a friend to the top teams.

....I liked Sims from start a couple of years ago , then he disappeared .....has he been out on loan....?....

[teamsaint]

....I liked Sims from start a couple of years ago , then he disappeared .....has he been out on loan....?....

Yes, Sims has remained popular with the fans too, and seems to have all the tools, good awareness, strength, decent touch.

We have had a couple of managers who didn’t really give youngsters a chance, although Koeman, despite being one for experience, gave him his first chance.
He’s been on loan at Reading and came back at Xmas having mostly warmed the bench. Not sure if Reading didn’t want him, or RH wanted to have a look at him, but whatever, he is a country mile better than Mo, who has been the worst of a series of expensive flops. A good lesson that spending money doesn’t necessarily improve on what you have .

[Alison]

Big big win, Sainty.

[BBMmk2]

At least The Toon are getting away from the threat of relegation now.

[cloughie]

At least The Toon are getting away from the threat of relegation now.

I see the manager panic has led to a rather sad sacking, Dareen Moore at the Baggies - why?

[LMcD]

I see the manager panic has led to a rather sad sacking, Dareen Moore at the Baggies - why?

According to a club statement 'Darren has not been able to engineer the consistency of form and results' needed for an immediate return to the Premier League.

[burning dog]

According to a club statement 'Darren has not been able to engineer the consistency of form and results' needed for
an immediate return to the Premier League.

In other words the club and its supporters have a "sense of entitlement"

[teamsaint]

In other words the club and its supporters have a "sense of entitlement"

From a distance, I’d gently suggest that the Baggies seem to have one of the world’s less entitled sets of fans.

But I expect others would have different and equally valid views........

[eighthobstruction]

....strange , it is the home fans that have created most....due to so many home loses....where as the away form has been very good [without looking 7 wins out of ten recently....

[teamsaint]

....strange , it is the home fans that have created most....due to so many home loses....where as the away form has been very good [without looking 7 wins out of ten recently....

In our promotion season, West Ham had similar problems. They were under enormous pressure to get back at the first attempt ( new stadium in the pipeline, and of course a very high profile club in any case) and the pressure really told in a number of home games where they dropped critical points.

A token prize for anybody who can remember who WHU beat in the Playoff final, without looking. ( not that long ago, 2012 ...)